This invention relates generally to the field of archery, and more particularly to an archery bow stand for supporting a bow on the ground or other surface.
The necessity of being able to support an archery bow while at an archery range or during hunting has long been recognized. Prior archery bow stands widely vary in function and design, with the ultimate purpose of freeing the archer's hands while resting or when engaged in other activities where the archery bow is not needed. One particular type of bow stand that has grown in popularity is a scissor-type configuration where two arms are pivoted together, with one end of each arms functioning as the ground support and the opposite end of each arm serving to clamp around the limb of a bow. A tension spring extends between the arms and, because of its position with respect to the pivot point of the arms, positively holds the bow stand in an open position with the spring located below the pivot point, and positively holds the bow stand in a closed position with the spring shifted to a location above the pivot point as the arms are rotated. The exposed spring on these types of bow stands can be problematic, both to the user, and the user's equipment, which may be exposed to being pinched or scratched. Moreover, such bow stands are relatively low in cost and therefore do not provide protection for the surfaces with which they come in contact with, such as the limb of a bow. Since bow limbs operate under very high tensile and compression stresses, damage to the limbs caused by archery equipment, such as the scissor-type bow stand, can be problematic and eventually lead to degradation in bow performance and potentially compromise the safety of the archer when repeated damage occurs over time.
It would therefore be desirous to provide a bow stand that overcomes one or more disadvantages of the prior art.